Reflection: Confronting Jamaica’s ‘Culture of Nastiness’

Some time ago, a former PNP Councillor serving in Montego Bay, St. James Division, remarked that we practice a “culture of nastiness.” He was taken to task for the comment, but he ought to have been commended for the courage to state the truth. The practice of nastiness is so ingrained it can indeed be regarded as part of our culture.

What drives people to compete vigorously with litter bugs and often win with record results? The late lawyer Nathan Robb once advised me not to risk my safety by telling anyone not to urinate in the streets. He explained that offenders often receive more support from bystanders than those attempting to challenge them, perpetuating such behavior. Robb emphasized that I would be outnumbered by a chorus urging me to “leff dih man alone” if I tried to stop him, asking me, in true barbaric tone, “Ah weh yu want ‘im fih piss?”

The point was well made. I watched the city become increasingly filthy, with the smell of urine wafting from street corners and sights of human excrement on public streets. We even have our own “Alice” of Crab Circle infamy, recently revealed to the surprise of none but the conveniently blind, deaf, and dumb.

What makes people so unfriendly, unkind, and downright nasty to their environment? A combination of ignorance and the knowledge that there are no consequences. Offenders face no penalties, nor are they socially aware enough to feel embarrassed by their constant assault on decency and cleanliness. No one is there to hold them accountable or encourage them to behave with civility.

The government is largely absent and complicit in these activities, despite their empty efforts and tax-wasting campaigns. Millions have been spent to create the impression that action is being taken, but to the discerning, it becomes clear that those in charge lack the ability or intent to solve this relatively minor problem. If they cannot address this, how will they tackle greater issues threatening the island?

The recent “Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica” campaign serves as another example of futility. Ironically, I once saw one of their pamphlets littered at a gas station, perfectly demonstrating the failure of the campaign itself. It might as well have read, “Dutty Up Jamaica.”

Without serious, competent, and honest governance, this problem will persist indefinitely. If there is truly a will to stop these acts, the solution is simple: punish the offenders. Give municipal police the power to arrest and charge those who litter. Offenders should be issued tickets and assigned a duty roster to clean up public spaces, wearing marked uniforms and returning them at the end of each shift until they have completed their mandated hours.

If, after six months, behavior does not change, we can rightly conclude that the Devil himself now rules both Heaven and Hell…

By Warren Johnson